State Police Offer Online Application for Concealed Carry Permits

on
Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Up until this month, the Illinois State Police have required Illinois firearms owners to submit paper applications for a concealed carry permits. However, starting this month, the State Police have begun to accept concealed carry permit applications online. This follows up on the startup period of the Firearm Concealed Carry Act, in which more than 91,000 Illinois residents have earned permits that enable them to carry concealed firearms. The Act became state law in July 2013 as Public Act 98-0063.

The Firearm Concealed Carry Act, which made Illinois the 50th and final state to have a concealed carry law on the books, was enacted as the result of a strong push from members of the Illinois State Rifle Association, which held their annual lobby day this week at the Illinois State Capitol. Gun owners gathered in Springfield on Wednesday, March 18 to push to defend and expand the law. Illinois residents continue to be subjected to time-consuming requirements as elements of the concealed-carry permit application process under current law. The State Police, which also operate the familiar FOID Card system for firearm owner’s identification (FOID) cards, took this March 2015 changeover opportunity to also make changes in the way they accept FOID applications. As of March 9, they no longer accept FOID paper applications.

Firearms dealers also contact the FOID database when firearms are being transferred from seller to buyer. The State Police, as part of their movement online, is encouraging dealers to use the access-restricted website when making a firearm transfer inquiry.